


Like the View

by Everybody_Loves_Chocolate



Series: Glowing Soulmates AU [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Acceptance, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anyways, Brothers, But I Love Them, Coming Out, De-Aged Characters, Drunken Confessions, Drunkenness, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Growing Up, I just realized, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun & Suh Youngho | Johnny Are Best Friends, Kissing, Light Angst, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Secrets, Suh Youngho | Johnny-centric, Time Skips, except for the kids everyone is in the same year in school, jeno mark and hyuck are kids, johnten are Dumb, kind of, lots of smiles, soulmates are basically just glow in the dark people, they're the de aged characters, why is the opposite of aged up not aged down, wrong and dumb conclusions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:15:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26438569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everybody_Loves_Chocolate/pseuds/Everybody_Loves_Chocolate
Summary: Johnny was definitely excited to meet the exchange student but he never thought he would glow like that. And that glow becomes the best and worst thing to ever happen to Johnny.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Series: Glowing Soulmates AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869583
Comments: 12
Kudos: 87





	Like the View

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo.... Nct 2020, huh?
> 
> Honestly, just the thought of seeing all of them together gave me so much energy I could do school efficiently and write fanfiction in the same day, like, what?
> 
> Anyway, here's your JohnTen fic! Yay! It's a lot of developing the relationship and them being dumbasses but I hope you don't feel like it drags on for too long. Feedback is always appreciated :)

“I wanna meet the exchange student, I wanna meet the exchange student, I wanna meet the exchange student. I can do this for hours, Jae, I’m not kidding.” Johnny takes a deep breath and continues, “I wanna meet the exchange student, I wanna meet the exchange student, I wanna meet-“

“Seriously Johnny,” Jaehyun interrupts, “I haven’t even met the dude and I literally walk to school with Doyoung every fucking day,” he groans, his head lying on top of his arms on the desk. He’s looking at Johnny with furrowed eyebrows and sighs when Johnny only shrugs.

“Okay,” he finally concedes. “I’ll get Doyoung to get him to eat with us.”

Johnny grins and claps Jaehyun on the shoulder. His friend makes a face but doesn’t say anything, sitting back in his chair and pinching the bridge of his nose. Johnny knows it’s kind of weird that he wants to get to know the exchange student so badly but he just really likes people who have experiences with other cultures and are intelligent. And Johnny is pretty sure that speaking three languages means the boy is intelligent.

“Oh yeah,” Johnny says, remembering something. Jaehyun groans again before Johnny can even continue, earning himself another slap. “What’s his name, again?”

Jaehyun shrugs and mumbles something about not really caring enough to ask before shutting up when the teacher walks into the room. Johnny pouts but doesn’t prod. Jaehyun’s always kind of uninterested in things that don’t directly concern him so Johnny isn’t surprised he doesn’t even know the exchange students name.

Still, Johnny hoped to at least get a little bit of information out of his best friend but apparently, Doyoung didn’t even tell Jaehyun the boy’s name. Johnny sighs and leans back, looking at the board and wondering if he could guess the exchange boy’s name correctly. His bet is on something like Trevor or something.

Johnny smiles. Now he has even more to look forward to when he’s going to get to know the boy at lunch today.

* * *

The day drags on and on, longer than Johnny is used to, but he supposes that’s what happens when you have something to look forward to on a school day. Jaehyun confirms that they’re going to meet with Doyoung and the exchange student at lunch. Luckily, he seems to be right up their alley, getting along well with Doyoung who is part of the boy’s host family.

Johnny stares at the clock and almost counts every second but his eyes start to hurt and he has to blink before focusing again.

“Is there something particularly interesting on the clock, Mr Seo?” the teacher asks and Johnny startles, ears tinting red as Jaehyun beside him snorts and hides a grin behind his hand. Bastard.

“No, sir,” Johnny answers and receives a stern look in return before the lesson continues like normal. Johnny kicks Jaehyun against the shin but the self-satisfaction at Jaehyun’s cursing doesn’t last long since Jaehyun kicks him back, much harder than Johnny had done to him. Johnny yelps quietly and pinches Jaehyun’s arm.

Before their little scuffle could turn into a full on wrestling match, Yuta, who sits in front of them, turns around with a glare.

“Fucking stop it or I’m going to _accidentally_ kick the ball in soccer practice right into your fucking faces,” he threatens and because he seems completely serious, Johnny and Jaehyun apologize and keep their hands to themselves for the rest of the lesson. They still stick their tongues out at each other though.

After the lesson finally ends and they’re out of the room, Jaehyun begins to loudly complain, “Why am I in so many classes with you? I wanna have my Doie, is that too much to ask?”

“Shut up,” Johnny replies, picking up his pace just to piss off Jaehyun but he forgot how much Jaehyun grew over summer break and that he can keep pace with him now. Silently, Johnny curses. “We literally only have three classes together. You have four with Doyoung!”

Jaehyun just shrugs and Johnny rolls his eyes. Couples really are the worst. He hopes the exchange student agrees with him on that one and that they can make fun of Jaehyun and Doyoung together. Not that it would bother either of them but making fun of people is still pretty amusing.

“Here we are,” Jaehyun mumbles as he opens the door to the cafeteria. Johnny doesn’t spot Doyoung right away because it’s crowded already but he soon spots him already sitting at a table and waving frantically. Jaehyun waves back with a big smile and hurries over, Johnny following with a sigh. He doesn’t even know how or when the two of them got together since they were like that ever since Johnny got to know them about two years ago. They never really changed though so he just assumes that their relationship is going really well.

“Where’s the exchange student?” Johnny asks when he arrives at the table and Jaehyun placed his mandatory kiss on the cheek on Doyoung. Doyoung rolls his eyes, informing him that the boy is also only human and has bodily functions like everyone else. Johnny sighs but nods, agreeing to getting something to eat first.

Jaehyun and he get their food and return to the table before the exchange boy shows up and Johnny begins to worry that he might have gotten lost. Before he can voice his concerns though, Doyoung asks, “Why do you want to meet him so badly anyways? I mean, I know you’re an extrovert but this is really exceeding something an extrovert would do. You haven’t even seen him yet, why are you so excited?”

Johnny shrugs and continues to search the cafeteria. He doesn’t really know either but as soon as he heard that they were going to have an exchange student in their year he felt excited. Maybe it’s just because he never actually had an experience with an exchange student before.

His eyes scan the crowd of students, gathered around the tables to eat until he spots something really bright and colourful coming towards them. Mesmerized, he watches as a boy makes his way through the crowd. He has short, black hair and, honestly, a pretty good sense of fashion. Various sparkly piercings hang from his ear, somehow complimenting the greyish button up he has on as well as the black skinny jeans.

Johnny spaces out for a while, absorbed in looking at the other boy. As he comes closer, his eyes look more and more like a cats’. They’re quite sharp but there seems to be kindness in them too. The glow around him seems to come from within, a wide array of colours that mesh nicely, even though they usually don’t belong together at all.

“-Ten, Johnny,” Doyoung says as Johnny comes back to the living again and the boy in front of Johnny smiles up at him and holds out a hand. Oh god, he’s so small. Like in a trance, Johnny takes Ten’s hand and shakes it once before going back to admiring the boy. He may be small, especially compared to Johnny, but he doesn’t seem fragile. Delicate, maybe, but there is definitely a strength inside that maybe even Johnny couldn’t match with.

“Are you okay?” Ten asks and Johnny’s heart almost stops in his chest. His voice is _beautiful_. “You seem a bit out of it.”

Behind Johnny, Jaehyun scoffs and answers, “Don’t mind him, he’s weird sometimes. Here, you can sit anywhere you like.”

Ten nods and smiles, disregarding Johnny and sitting down in front of Jaehyun who smiles back at the boy. Johnny gets himself to sit down as well, his eyes landing on the empty space in front of Ten and then the tray of food he brought for himself.

“Do you have nothing to eat, Ten?” Johnny questions and Ten nods, not taking his eyes off of Johnny as he replies, “Yeah, I didn’t get to register yet but I’ll probably have some tomorrow. I don’t really eat a lot anyways so it’s okay.”

“Mom probably overfed you at breakfast anyways,” Doyoung interjects and Ten laughs, hand coming up to cover his mouth.

“Yeah,” he says, eyes shining, “we should probably tell her that I don’t eat that much. I’m sure even you wouldn’t be able to eat it all.”

Doyoung nods, smiling. They make more easy conversation, getting to know each other better, Johnny mostly staying quiet and eating his food which is unusual for him. Normally, he would be all over Ten and mentally he totally is but somehow, the way Ten is literally glowing makes him cautious. The others don’t seem to see it because Johnny is pretty sure they would’ve said something about it already.

His thoughts are interrupted by Jaehyun saying, “You’re really good by the way, I can barely even hear an accent.”

Ten blushes and ducks his head with a small smile on his face and Johnny’s heart just melts. He decides then and there that he’s never going to let Ten go, determined to at least form a friendship with the boy.

“What are your hobbies, Ten?” Johnny asks, speaking for the first time since the beginning of the conversation and Ten purses his lips, looking up as if he was thinking about it. He needs a little time to answer and Johnny keeps his eyes on him as he thinks. He’s pretty sure Jaehyun and Doyoung are whispering amongst themselves but that isn’t important right now.

“I guess drawing and dancing are basically my hobbies,” Ten finally answers, directing his gaze at Johnny again. Johnny’s heart beats faster but he keeps himself in check, nodding and offering, “I really like photography.”

“Really? Would you show it to me someday?”

Ten seems really excited about it, scooting a little closer to Johnny. Jaehyun and Doyoung are _definitely_ whispering among themselves. Still, Johnny powers through and nods again, agreeing easily because he’s weak for Ten already. Ten cheers quietly and thanks Johnny, softly touching his arm. Johnny just about faints right there.

* * *

Ten is easy to make friends with. Jaehyun and Doyoung also get along with him swimmingly, even if Ten takes to teasing Doyoung quite often. He calls him his host brother and pinches his cheeks every time the bunny smile comes out.

Johnny likes Ten. The younger boy is easy to like, nice but witty personality, nice face, nice glow. Ten also seems to like Johnny, sticking with him more than he does with Jaehyun and Doyoung. It turns out that Johnny and Ten share a lot of classes and they sit next to each other in every single one of them. Still, Johnny is pretty sure the way he likes Ten and the way Ten likes him are completely different. Normally, one wouldn’t just develop a crush on someone in a second yet somehow Johnny managed to do just that.

Maybe the glow is some kind of magic spell or something, designed to make whoever sees it fall in love with Ten. Johnny scratches that idea pretty quickly. Not only doesn’t he believe in magic, he also doesn’t believe that even if Ten had magic, that he would use it for something like that.

A month into their friendship, Johnny decides to finally research it but he comes up with basically nothing. Some people are saying they can see people’s souls, auras or energy fields but nothing seems like what Johnny is experiencing. He isn’t seeing it on anyone but Ten and the colours aren’t structured in layers.

After a short debate with himself, Johnny decides to ask his parents since they’re open-minded and would probably not throw him into an asylum right away. He waits for a day Mark isn’t home, having a sleepover at Donghyuck’s, before he asks his parents. He just doesn’t want his younger brother overhearing it and thinking that Johnny’s insane.

They’re eating dinner when Johnny finally decides to ask, “Do you know anything about seeing glows?”

His parents glance at each other, both of them putting their cutlery down before his mother leans forward a little and, instead of answering, asks a counter-question.

“Why do you want to know?”

Johnny resists the urge to roll his eyes. It’s rude and the question is kind of valid but it still rubs him in the wrong way because he just wants an answer. It shouldn’t be that hard to give, especially if they know something. Still, Johnny clears his throat and explains, “Well, I can kind of see a glow around this one-” Johnny cuts himself off, hesitating before continuing with, “this one person. Like, it’s just like someone emptied several buckets of paint around them and it just stuck.”

His mother hums and his father nods, gesturing for his mother to answer. Johnny expected as much. Out of the two of them it’s mostly their mother that gives them the answers they need. Or just answers in general, really.

“Well,” she begins and taps her chin. “If it is what I think it is, you found your soulmate.”

“Soulmate?!” Johnny interrupts and she raises a hand and looks at him sternly, warning him to not do it again. He apologizes quietly, sinking into his seat as she continues, “Soulmates seem to be quite common in our family. Or my side at least. I can’t really explain it but it’s basically what you said. A glow around a person. Your father and I aren’t soulmates by the way. I don’t seem to have one.”

Johnny hums, trying to take in all of the information. So, apparently soulmates exist and Ten is his. Surely, if he was Ten’s too he would have said something. Johnny pouts at the thought of Ten not being his soulmate, choosing to be kind of childish instead of emotional by not crying in front of his parents. The concept of soulmates is new to Johnny but the thought of him not being Ten’s as well makes him sad. Very, very sad.

“Now,” his mom says before Johnny can go down a spiral, “who is your soulmate? Do I know them?”

She leans forward with glittering eyes and his father has to take away the plate because she would hang her clothes into the food otherwise. Johnny notes how she didn’t use ‘she’ just like Johnny had and hopes that it’s a good sign. He clears his throat, nervous about his next words but both of his parents are smiling at him and he relaxes a bit.

“It- it’s the exchange student Doyoung’s parents are hosting. His name is Ten.”

His mother’s smile grows and she leans back again, clapping her hands together, exclaiming, “We have to meet him!”

His father agrees easily and Johnny complies reluctantly, setting a few rules first.

“No soulmate talk. Just treat him like you would any other friend of mine. There’s no way in hell I’m going to be alone with him so Doyoung and Jaehyun have to be here too. And no peeking!”

His mother pouts but agrees. So does his father and then it’s settled. Ten is going to meet Johnny’s family.

* * *

On Monday, Ten isn't at school for some reason and Johnny is worried but it also gives him the opportunity to talk to Jaehyun and Doyoung without being constantly aware of the boy beside him. He shares the class before lunch with Doyoung so he uses the time to both ask about Ten and the issue with hanging out together.

“Is Ten alright? I haven't seen him today,” Johnny starts off with and Doyoung nods as he continues to doodle into his notebook. Johnny really doesn't know how he can be so good of a student but be kind of inattentive and lazy most of the time. “Okay, well, I have another question.” Doyoung looks up this time, eyes suspicious and eyebrows raised but he doesn't say anything now either so Johnny continues, “Would you wanna hang out on Friday? I mean, like, the four of us together. You, me, Jaehyun and Ten. We could have a movie night or something and just, you know, enjoy our time as friends.”

Doyoung hums, finally setting down his pencil and leaning back against his chair, eyes on Johnny the whole time. Johnny is a bit uncomfortable under his gaze because Doyoung might look like a bunny but his eyes are still pretty intense if he wants them to be. 

They're silent or a little while, just the noise of the classroom around them until Doyoung smiles and shrugs, allowing Johnny to finally relax.

“Alright, we can hang out but I'll have to bring Jeno with me 'cause our parents are out of town and there's no way I'm leaving him home alone or literally anywhere that isn't with me,” Doyoung says, grabbing his pencil again but before he starts scribbling on his notebook he turns to look at Johnny again, gaze questioning. “Is it going to be a sleepover?”

Johnny shrugs. He didn't really think that far ahead but he supposes they would have to know. He thinks about it for a while, then nods. Sleepovers are always a good bonding activity and Mark would probably also enjoy Jeno's company while playing games or something. Sure, the two don't seem very close, at least Johnny never saw the two of them together when Donghyuck was around, but they are nice to each other and since they’re both a bit shy but passionate about what they like they’re going to survive a night together. 

At lunch, Johnny asks Jaehyun as well and immediately gets a wide grin in return. Johnny doesn't quite know what it means but at least Jaehyun says that he's going to join as well and already starts planning what games they should play. Doyoung and Johnny let him ramble to himself, opting to talk to each other because an excited Jaehyun is an almost impossible to talk to Jaehyun.

Johnny decides to ask about Ten again because it's normal to worry about your friend, right? It's not weird to ask Doyoung about him, right?

“Why isn't Ten here by the way? Is he sick or something?” Johnny asks around a mouthful of kind of disgusting lasagna and Doyoung makes a face but answers, “He isn't sick. He's just at some kind of event that the exchange program provides. I didn't really understand him 'cause he was talking so fast. I mean, even I can't speak that fast and I'm a native speaker. He probably threw some Thai words in there too though so...”

Doyoung shrugs and continues eating and so does Johnny until something very crucial comes to his mind.

“Do you think Ten would even be up for it?”

By now, Jaehyun has stopped talking to himself and since Doyoung is still chewing and Jaehyun isn't, Jaehyun rolls his eyes and declares, “Of course. Dude, he's so attached to you, you probably see him more than Doie does and they literally live together.” Jaehyun shrugs and leans back in his seat, a small smirk on his lips. “He keeps talking about you as well. About how tall you are but not intimidating at all. How you're so kind and everything. Trust me, he's definitely up for it, especially since he wants to know more about you.”

Johnny almost chokes on his food at the last sentence but manages to not endanger his life. Ten wants to know more about him? Why? How?

His head is swirling with questions but he doesn't want to ask them, not wanting to give himself away so he opts for, “I mean, I want to know more about him too.”

Jaehyun and Doyoung accept that statement easily, turning to each other to talk and letting Johnny think about Ten. God, Friday is going to be exhausting.

* * *

“Your earrings are really pretty! Can I touch them?”

Ten laughs at Mark's excitement and bends down enough for the boy to reach out and touch his earrings. Doyoung and Ten arrived just now with Jeno in tow, Doyoung's younger brother clinging to his leg, for some reason still scared of Johnny's height. Ten looks up from where he's crouching in front of Mark with glittering eyes and his glow seems to be brighter than normal when he says, “He's really cute.”

Mark doesn't react to the statement, eyes big as he gently traces Ten's earrings. God, Johnny wishes he could do that too, especially when Ten turns back to Mark and ruffles his hair. Doyoung rams his elbow into Johnny's side and shoots him a glare that Johnny can't decipher. Still, he glares back before turning to look at Ten and Mark again only to find his little brother being held up in Ten's arms, still focused on the earrings. Johnny's chest tightens at the thought of Ten liking kids even though Johnny has never thought like that before and he shouldn't consider something like that attractive at his age.

“What's going on with this conference?” Jaehyun interrupts the gentle silence, letting himself in. He always does, so Johnny doesn't even complain anymore, letting Jaehyun do whatever he wants to.

“Mark's interested in Ten's earrings so we're just standing here,” Doyoung replies, placing a soft kiss on Jaehyun's lips as a greeting. They're like an old married couple, Jaehyun winding his arm around Doyoung's waist and greeting Jeno with a smile on his face. Mark finally asks for Ten to let him down and Ten does, allowing Mark to ask Jeno to play with him. Jeno agrees easily, following Mark into his room and leaving the four teenagers by the door.

“So,” Johnny starts, feeling kind of awkward as everybody looks at him. Doyoung and Jaehyun look kind of smug while Ten is smiling at Johnny, looking expectant. “my parents are going to come home in, like, two hours so we can do what we want to until then. Do you guys wanna play or watch something or just talk or are you thirsty or hungry?”

Doyoung shrugs and so does Jaehyun, leaving Ten to make the decision. He purses his lips and hums, then saying, “I mean, just talking would probably be great. We have so much more to learn about each other and you could show me, um, _us_ your photography.”

Johnny nods mutely and gestures for them to follow but not before picking up Ten and Doyoung's backpacks, carrying them into his room. The other three follow silently, Ten looking around and examining the pictures of Johnny and Mark on the walls, making small sounds and cooing. Johnny speeds up, not wanting Ten to linger but knowing for it to be inevitable when his mom is home.

“Welcome to my room,” Johnny says, pushing open his door and letting the three other boys in first before following. Ten's mouth is shaped in an o-form, taking in Johnny's room while Doyoung and Jaehyun make themselves comfortable on Johnny's bed, snuggling together. Johnny tells Ten that he can sit on the beanbag if he wants to and Ten complies, slowly sitting down, still looking around. Before, Johnny was never so aware of what he was displaying in his room but now he's kind of conscious of the pictures on his walls of him and his family, of Mark and Donghyuck, conscious of the medals on his wall from when he still did karate.

Johnny rummages through his desk, hoping to find pictures that aren't just Mark but scenery or at least Mark with scenery. He kind of wished he wasn't so fond of his brother but at the same time if Ten doesn't like Johnny taking so many pictures of Mark he may not be the one, soulmate or not. With a sigh, Johnny pulls out the pictures he took while they were on holiday in Austria, pictures of pretty landscapes, sunrises and sunsets.

“It’s not much,” he admits, handing the pictures over to Ten, “and they’re not really that pretty. They have more of an emotional or, like, sentimental value than anything to be honest. I’m sure what you draw is way prettier than what I take pictures of.” Johnny should really stop talking but Ten is sifting through his pictures and Johnny can’t seem to shut his mouth. “They also kind of all look the same so looking at them might not be enjoyable. Those are all from when we where in Austria by the way. The landscape is really pretty and all but our parents wanted to go hiking and they had to bribe Mark with sweets so that he would come with us to the top.”

Ten looks up at Johnny, the glow around him seemingly brighter, and smiles. Johnny’s heart stops in his chest but the moment is broken by Jaehyun snorting. He took the pictures from Ten and is looking at them with Doyoung, pointing at them. Johnny makes a face and pulls them out of his hands, pressing them close to his chest.

“You don’t get to look at them,” he tells the couple before putting the pictures back into his desk. Meanwhile, Ten scooted over on the beanbag, patting the open space next to him with a smile on his face and Johnny steels himself before sitting down next to him. Their thighs touch and Ten’s warmth seeps into Johnny’s body but he doesn’t dare mentioning it, afraid of scaring Ten away. However, the boy comes even closer, whispering into Johnny’s ear, “I really liked the pictures. If you have any others I’d like to see them someday too.”

Johnny blushes but nods, replying, “Only if you show me your drawings.”

Ten agrees and then Doyoung pipes up, saying something about Johnny having a brother complex. Johnny sputters, arguing that Doyoung isn’t any better and that makes him shut up, leaning into Jaehyun with a pout.

Laughing, Ten says, “If I had a brother as cute as yours I’d have a brother complex too. I’d draw him all day.”

Maybe Ten really is the one.

* * *

Johnny’s parents meeting Ten goes down a lot more tame than he expected it to. His mother isn’t all over Ten, being quite polite for her usual bubbly manner and his father actually speaks a few words.

They all eat dinner together, the kids included, and thankfully no embarrassing stories about Johnny are shared and his mother does actually not say anything about soulmates. Mark and Jeno are whispering about something or another, not really focussing on what’s going on and Jaehyun seems like he’s about to drop face first into his noodles so his mother allows them to go.

“Why is Jae so tired today?” Johnny asks Doyoung as they make their way to Johnny’s room again, warily watching Jaehyun trudging around. Doyoung just shrugs, hurrying to catch up with his boyfriend and put a gentle hand on his back. Ten taps Johnny on the shoulder and beckons him closer, whispering, “He’s part of the swimming team but he didn’t tell Doyoung yet. He said something about it being the best surprise ever.”

Johnny chuckles and nods, explaining to a confused looking Ten that Jaehyun was a part of the swimming team until a year ago because school was getting too much. Jaehyun and Doyoung met at a swimming competition and so the swimming team held some kind of significance in their lives. The way Jaehyun looked when he came out of the pool didn’t hurt either, Johnny adds and Ten giggles, his eyes shimmering. Johnny grins and squeezes Ten’s shoulder before stepping his room and spotting Jaehyun cuddling into a very annoyed looking Doyoung. They’re lying on Johnny’s bed, Jaehyun lying almost over Doyoung, having his face shoved into the crook of his neck.

“Get this log off of me. He won’t let go,” Doyoung complains and Johnny and Ten chuckle before gently trying to pry Jaehyun off of him. Jaehyun whines and clings tighter as Doyoung rolls his eyes.

“You’re such a baby,” he mumbles, prodding at Jaehyun but the only response he gets is a sleepy, “But I’m your baby.”

Doyoung groans as Johnny and Ten laugh, enjoying their friend’s misery. They help him though, forcing Jaehyun off and his eyes to open because he didn’t even brush his teeth yet. Doyoung and Jaehyun disappear into the bathroom and then Johnny and Ten are alone.

It’s silent for a while, Johnny awkwardly shuffling around, setting up the mattress and only then noticing that they don’t have enough. They only have two but until now it wasn’t a problem. Mark’s bed isn’t big enough for two so Jeno has to sleep on one and Doyoung and Jaehyun are chill with sharing one so until now it always worked out but it doesn’t with Ten around.

Johnny clears his throat, turning around to find Ten looking at the pictures above Johnny’s bed with a smile and Johnny presses his lips together. How is he going to survive potentially sleeping in the same bed as him when he’s so beautiful?

“Um, Ten?”

Ten looks around and raises an eyebrow, smile still in place. Johnny’s heart is beating faster and he’s pretty sure his ears are turning red but he has to get this out so he clears his throat again and says, “We, um, we might have to share a bed because, well, the mattresses aren’t enough and I’m physically not able to sleep on the couch but I don’t want you to sleep on it either. I hope that’s okay with you, I’m really sorry. I really don’t know any other solution.”

“Oh, that’s okay with me,” Ten answers and it might have been an illusion but his colours seem a lot more tinted in yellow. “I mean, if you’re okay with it of course.”

“No, no, I’m definitely okay with it. No problem on my side.”

Johnny flails a little with his hands before blushing and burying his face in those same hands. God, he’s so embarrassing.

Ten laughs and pats Johnny’s shoulder, telling him that it’s okay. Doyoung and Jaehyun choose that moment to return. Jaehyun spots the mattress already all laid out and prepared for them so he sits down on it, pulling Doyoung with him, rearranging them effortlessly until he’s all snuggled up against Doyoung. Doyoung only lets out a sigh and doesn’t complain, placing a kiss on the crown of Jaehyun’s head.

“I guess we’re going to sleep already,” he sighs and Johnny snorts but nods, as does Ten. They decide on Ten going to wash up first, leaving Johnny with Jaehyun and Doyoung, or, well, Doyoung. As soon as Ten is out of he room and Johnny sits down on his bed, Doyoung pipes, “You like him, don’t you?”

Johnny sputters, looking at Doyoung with wide eyes. Doyoung only looks back with a bored gaze, all the while petting Jaehyun’s hair. He looks a bit like those villains with the cat, if villains were lying down in pyjamas and the cat was a human. So not really that much but it’s the thought that counts anyways.

“I- I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Johnny tries but Doyoung only raises an eyebrow and that’s all it takes for Johnny to break.

“Okay, so maybe I like him a little. He doesn’t like me though, that would be, I don’t know, unrealistic? I mean, it is unrealistic which is why I don’t think he likes me too.”

Doyoung sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. He does that a lot when he’s around Johnny and maybe it should be insulting but really it just shows how much of a clueless person Johnny is. Well, most of the time anyways. With this he’s sure that he’s right about it. Surprisingly, Doyoung doesn’t say anything else, just waving dismissively and closing his eyes, turning his head towards Jaehyun. And that’s that.

“Did you know that you have a habit of biting your bottom lip?” Ten asks into the dark. He’s still glowing though so Johnny is still able to see him. They’re playing some kind of altered version of 21 questions, allowing them to ask something that doesn’t necessarily make them learn something new about the other. Since both of them aren’t that tired yet they decided to talk more. Okay, maybe Johnny also wanted to distract himself from Ten’s warmth and glow beside him.

“Not really, no,” Johnny whispers back, looking at the ceiling and hoping for Ten to get tired already so that his heart can catch a break. “Does it look weird? I bet it does.”

Ten yawns, hand coming up to cover his mouth, nose scrunching. He snuggles more into the blanket and closes his eyes, not answering Johnny so Johnny supposes he wants to go to sleep now. Thankful, Johnny closes his eyes even if they left it at a weird note.

He’s already drifting off when he hears a soft, “Bet lost, I think it’s really cute.”

If Johnny was thinking right, his eyes would have flown open but he really isn’t, so he only hums and turns to his side, pressing further into the pillow. Ten probably didn’t say it anyways.

“And I think _you’re_ cute too.”

* * *

After that, Ten visits more often and most of the time even without Doyoung or Jaehyun. Johnny still feels like his heart is going to explode every time Ten touches him but Ten’s a very affectionate person so he gets used to the feeling quite quickly. Mark also takes a liking to Ten and Ten to Mark so that’s something Johnny definitely doesn’t have anything against.

When Doyoung finally learns about Jaehyun being part of the swimming team again by a slip of tongue from his own boyfriend, Ten and Johnny laugh at Jaehyun running from Doyoung, screaming bloody murder as his annoyed boyfriend chases him. Doyoung complains about not being able to spend more time with Jaehyun once he’s finally caught but he quickly shuts up when Johnny reminds him of the view.

A year flies like never before and in the blink of an eye, Ten has to go home again. Really home, not just back to Doyoung’s. Johnny, Jaehyun and Doyoung all accompany him to the airport along with Doyoung’s parents and Jeno, who’s sleepy and a bit grumpy but they didn’t want to leave him alone so he had to come along.

Ten says bye to Doyoung’s parents first and pats Jeno on the head, promising to send a card when he’s home again. Next is Jaehyun, who receives a hug and a friendly pat on the back with the promise to tell him what Doyoung texts about with him if Jaehyun tells him everything Doyoung does in return. Doyoung complains but it doesn’t last long, being enveloped in a hug by Ten too. With a sigh, Doyoung shuts up and hugs him back, mumbling something under his breath, Ten answers but Johnny is gentleman enough to not listen on what they’re talking about. Ten places a chaste kiss on Doyoung’s cheek that Doyoung wipes off with a frown.

Johnny is last. Ten stands in front of him and smiles, arms circling around Johnny’s waist. He taps Johnny’s back before leaning his head against his chest. Johnny hugs him back, liking the way they fit despite their height difference. It feels like Johnny’s hug lasts longer than the others but Johnny quickly disregards that thought, blaming it on wishful thinking.

Ten pulls back and makes Johnny promise to keep in touch and never go radio silent and promises the same before grinning.

“I’m going to come back here anyways. You’re not getting rid of me,” Ten declares and the others chuckle but Johnny can’t, eyes transfixed on the way Ten’s glow is dimmed, on the way he feels like he’s loosing something very, very important.

Ten hugs everyone once more and then grabs his suitcase, saying his goodbye. Johnny presses his lips together and waves until Ten can’t see them anymore. He feels torn, literally torn, as if some part of him was ripped away but Johnny doesn’t dare to dwell on it, heading back to the car with Jaehyun, Doyoung, and Doyoung’s family.

This time, Jaehyun sits next to Johnny and punches him lightly in the shoulder.

“You’re so dumb,” is all he says but somehow Johnny still understands because Jaehyun is right. He really really is.

* * *

They do keep in touch. Johnny doesn’t dare let a day go by that he isn’t texting Ten or calling him. Being on the phone with Ten is a whole other experience, what with Ten’s voice right next to Johnny’s ear.

Johnny kind of expected his feelings to fade but they don’t. They’re a bit in the background whenever Johnny isn’t talking to Ten but as soon as he is, they come back full force. Ten’s glow is embedded in Johnny’s brain but he doesn’t get to see it in real life for quite a few years since Ten stays home over the holidays since they don’t align with theirs anyways.

They exchange photos and short videos, sometimes they even video chat but other than that, Johnny doesn’t see Ten. He misses him. He misses Ten’s presence, he misses the way his glow would change with his emotions, he misses squabbling with Ten and he misses being close to him, being able to touch him.

He doesn’t believe he’s going to see Ten in person any time soon since college is also a thing and Ten hasn’t said anything about coming back for college. Sure, Doyoung and Jaehyun are kind of secretive nowadays but Johnny is pretty sure it’s just because they’re going to buy a flat and they want to surprise Johnny with the information.

That suspicion is quickly confirmed with a little question aimed at Ten during one of their calls. However, that suspicion also proves to only be partly true.

“Mh? Oh yeah, they’re looking for a flat right about now,” Ten says and Johnny grins. He knew it. “By the way, I’m gonna move in with them too.”

Johnny stops all of his movements, including breathing, trying to figure out whether or not he just imagined that. On the other side of the phone, Johnny can hear Ten breathing, probably waiting for Johnny to react. When that reaction doesn’t come he asks, “Johnny? You still alive over there?”

Johnny nods before his brain registers that Ten can’t see him so he answers, “Yeah, I’m just… a little surprised. You never said anything about it.”

Ten scoffs and Johnny can practically see him roll his eyes. Johnny allows himself to smile and fall back into his bed, listening to Ten mumble something under his breath. It’s kind of quiet for a while, a silence that doesn’t need breaking.

“I’m also going to attend the same college,” Ten chirps out of nowhere, eliciting an embarrassing squeal from Johnny. He cackles, enjoying Johnny’s reaction to the fullest. Johnny never even imagined seeing Ten so soon, let alone attending the same college as him.

“Ah, I have to go now. Mom’s calling.”

And that’s what Johnny is left with. Taking a deep breath, he takes his phone away from his ear and stares at it until he can think again. Mark chooses that moment to walk into Johnny’s room, already in his sleep wear, a book in his hand.

“Can you read to me?” he asks with a pout even thought Johnny always does anyways. Of course, Johnny nods, smiling at his brother. Mark is just too cute to say no to, especially when he’s sleepy and his hair is all over the place.

Johnny ruffles it up even more and takes the book from Mark, letting his younger brother make himself comfortable in Johnny’s bed. Mark looks all soft and Johnny really really loves him. He loves him and his parents in a way different from Ten.

Johnny realizes just then that he’s in love with Ten. With his soulmate.

* * *

“You suck,” Johnny complains a few months later. Jaehyun just hums and continues carding his fingers through Johnny’s hair. They’re on the floor of Jaehyun, Doyoung, and Ten’s shared flat, both of them having drunk quite a bit already. Doyoung and Ten are out on ‘a host brotherly night’ as Ten called it, leaving Johnny and Jaehyun alone.

“You suck,” Johnny repeats, groaning. “Why would you let Ten move in with you, do you want to kill me? Seriously, why does he have to look so good and be so nice and sassy and perfect? Why, Jae?”

Jaehyun only laughs, answering, “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

Johnny frowns but doesn’t question it further.

When Ten arrived a week before the beginning of the semester, his glow was brighter than it is in any picture or any video. He looks even more beautiful now and Johnny’s heart is only slowly getting used to it again. When they hugged for the first time in years, Johnny felt relieved somehow, like when he finds his phone after panicking about losing it. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to tell Ten about his feelings because it’s weird and Ten probably doesn’t like him anyways. Even if he liked him back then, that was years ago and crushes don’t last that long.

Johnny’s train of thought is interrupted by Ten stumbling into the room, held up by Doyoung who looks like he’s considering murdering someone. He basically throws Ten on the bed and pulls Jaehyun away from Johnny and out of the room.

“Get your shit together,” is all he says before closing the door. Johnny raises an eyebrow and looks at Ten who looks about equally as confused. Ten sits up and looks around, glow flickering a bit like a faulty light bulb.

“Hey, Johnny,” he whispers, leaning closer and Johnny gets up on the bed before nodding and smiling at Ten, gesturing for him to continue. “I was just talking to Youngie about this but-” Ten cuts off with a hiccup and giggles before continuing, “But I have this person, right?” Johnny’s heart is already preparing to be shattered, it can’t be good for him when Ten begins like that. “I have this person that _glows_.” Johnny holds his breath. Ten’s own glow is flickering even more now, a little frantic. “They’re really nice and I’m so glad to know them.”

Then Ten’s eyes close and his breathing slows and his glow gets a little more consistent. Johnny only clenches his jaw and tugs Ten in, not daring to move the boy more than he has to. He looks at Ten for a while after that, trying to decide whether or not to tell him that he knows what that glow means. But if he tells Ten that, he’s going to find out who Ten’s soulmate is and since it doesn’t seem to be Johnny it would break his heart. Johnny decides to be selfish just a little longer and keep it to himself. If they’re Ten’s soulmate they’re going to stay with him until the end anyways.

Johnny opens the door and steps outside just to be met with Doyoung. Doyoung has his hands on his hips and he looks disappointed, sounds like it too when he says, “You’re such a dumbass it’s not even funny anymore.”

Johnny doesn’t exactly know what Doyoung means but it rings true in his heart anyways.

* * *

The ones that make Johnny aware of how much of a dumbass he really is are Mark and Donghyuck. A few weeks after what Johnny likes to call ‘the incident’ they want to talk to him so all three of them gather in the living room after lunch.

Ten doesn’t act any different around Johnny so he assumes Ten either doesn’t remember or it isn’t that important to him. Johnny’s heart hurts at the thought but he tries to ignore it. Ten doesn’t deserve Johnny being mopey over something that’s kind of trivial.

Johnny only realizes the flaw in his logic during his conversation with Mark and Donghyuck.

The two of them are sitting on the couch in front of Johnny, fingers intertwined. Johnny always liked their relationship. They’re really close, even for people who’ve known each other for years. Mark is proud to say he loves Donghyuck even if Johnny isn’t sure he really knows what that means.

“Do we glow to you?” Mark asks. A thousand things shoot through Johnny’s head at the same time, the most prominent one being the question of ‘They’re soulmates?’. Johnny shakes his head as an answer but doesn’t elaborate yet, waiting for the next question to answer his suspicion.

“Then why do we glow to each other?”

It’s Donghyuck who asks this time. He seems nervous so Johnny offers them a soft smile. Okay, so maybe Mark really does love Donghyuck. Johnny wouldn’t doubt that it’s possible for soulmates to know love at such a young age.

“You’re each other’s soulmates,” he answers, not wasting time. “Not everyone has a soulmate and, honestly, not a lot of people believe in them either. You’ll never learn about them in school, maybe you’ll hear about them in passing once. But even then they’ll say that there are people who claim that a certain person glows to them but it’s never been proven. Soulmates are kind of rare, kind of not. There might be more in one generation than in another.” Johnny shakes his head. He found this all out himself, mostly by reading through the diaries of his old or dead family members and some even deeper research. He continues with, “For example, I only know two other people except for you two who have soulmates and one of them is me.”

Mark and Donghyuck’s eyes seem to light up at Johnny’s last words. Donghyuck leans forward and asks with wide eyes, “Who’s the second one?”

Johnny resists the urge to clench his jaw and answers with a small smile, “Ten.”

Just because Ten’s soulmate isn’t Johnny doesn’t mean he can’t be happy for him. However, this fragile image of happiness he built is soon shattered by Mark excitedly asking, “And who’s your soulmate?”

“Ten,” Johnny answers again, this time less happy about it. He hopes that the kids don’t notice but they do, of course they do. Mark leans back, brows furrowed and Donghyuck takes a deep breath, preparing to ask rapid fire questions.

“Have you told each other you love each other then? Are you dating? Is that why you clicked so easily? Did he return for you? What’s your favourite memory with him?”

Johnny shakes his head and raises his hand to get Donghyuck to stop. He doesn’t want to answer any of those questions, doesn’t even want to think about them. He gathers himself, taking a few steadying breaths before saying, “We haven’t talked about it.”

“Why?” Mark asks with furrowed brows. “If he glows for you, you glow for him. Don’t you love him?”

That stings more than it should and Johnny sighs, carding his hand through his hair. This conversation is stressing him out, making him think about things he’d rather not think about. Mark and Donghyuck are kids after all, surely they don’t understand that it isn’t as easy as they think it is. Especially since Johnny and Ten may be friends but they haven’t known each other for as long as the kids.

“It’s not that easy-” Johnny begins, trying to explain himself but Donghyuck cuts him off before he can continue.

“Of course it is!” Donghyuck exclaims. “Mark and I told each other how we feel and we’re not even teenagers yet!” Johnny raises an eyebrow. They did what now? “I’m sure if Ten glows for you then you glow for him too! You’re each other’s soulmates. He’s not just yours.”

Mark nods as if to affirm that he agrees with Donghyuck and Johnny sighs again, burying his face in his hands. He guesses there’s some kind of truth to it but it feels like he’s fucked up already and he doesn’t want to make it even worse by overstepping his boundaries and telling Ten something that might destroy their friendship.

“Talk to him,” Mark demands. Pressing his lips together, Johnny takes a deep breath before conceding with a quiet _Alright_ and getting his phone out. Johnny stands up, already on his way to his room when he turns to look at Mark and Donghyuck again, promising, “I’ll tell you how it went.”

It takes Johnny a while to actually call Ten. He always has the option to text him but he feels like that’s too impersonal for something as important as this. Johnny even skips dinner, in an intense debate with himself. But since he promised the kids he’d do it, he takes a deep breath and dials Ten’s number.

It rings one, two, three, four, five times and Johnny considers calling Ten again at a more reasonable time but that’s exactly when he picks up. Ten doesn’t greet him but Johnny doesn’t say anything either, so it’s silent between them.

Until now, Johnny didn’t notice but something _did_ change. Their calls got shorter, so did their messages and when they saw each other, Ten would barely even touch Johnny. Most importantly, his glow was dimmed the entire time since he told Johnny about his soulmate. It’s blatantly obvious now that Johnny’s thinking about it but before, he was so focused on not letting anything slip, he didn’t notice their relationship slipping.

“I’m sorry,” Johnny says and Ten scoffs, asking, “What for?”

“For not telling you.”

“Telling me what, Johnny? I’m not going to listen to you be mysterious. Just tell me what you’re talking about.”

“I have someone who glows too,” Johnny blurts and Ten goes silent. For a second, Johnny actually believes he just hung up but when he checks, they’re still on a call. Johnny puts the phone to his ear again, just in time to hear Ten exhale shakily.

“Who is it?” he asks quietly as if he isn’t sure if he should be asking. Johnny really should’ve said something to Ten as soon as he could, his heart hurting at the tone in Ten’s voice. Clearing his throat, Johnny answers, “You. It’s you, Ten.”

It’s silent again for a bit but this time Johnny doesn’t think he said something wrong or that Ten hung up on him. He just waits for Ten to sort out his thoughts and come to terms with what was just presented to him. Ten hums and then asks, sounding impatient, “Well, when are you going to get here? Youngie and Jae are out for the night.”

“I’ll be right there,” Johnny breathes and actually gets hung up on this time as he jumps up from where he was sitting on his bed. As he passes Mark’s door he stops, walks back and slowly, quietly opens the door, whispering, “You were right. I can’t believe you’re smarter than me already.” before closing the door again.

* * *

Johnny arrives at the flat about half an hour later. He already sees the lights being on from the street and races up the stairs, too impatient to use the elevator.

The door is already open when Johnny arrives and Ten is standing in the door frame, leaning against it. He’s only wearing a wide shirt and sporty shorts. His earrings are glittering in the light but his glow is even brighter, the colours practically dancing as Johnny approaches.

Ten doesn’t waste any time, pulling Johnny down to plant a kiss on his lips as soon as he’s in reach. Johnny is more than happy to reciprocate, winding his arms around Ten to pull him closer. Ten sighs into Johnny’s mouth and tilts his head to get better access. Again, Johnny plays along, willingly moving his lips to match Ten’s rhythm.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Johnny thinks they probably shouldn’t start making out at the door step where everyone can see, so he steps inside, Ten following easily. Johnny closes the door behind them and only then Ten detaches his lips from Johnny’s. His eyes are hooded and his cheeks a soft pink but his beauty is enhanced the most by the flurry of colours surrounding him.

“I love you,” Ten mumbles against Johnny’s mouth when he leans up again and Johnny hums, apologizing, “I’m sorry, I’m dumb.”

Instead of answering, Ten pulls Johnny with him into his room and licks into his mouth. Johnny hums. Everything feels fast and slow at once, throwing Johnny off but not enough to not let him enjoy what’s happening. Ten cards his hands through Johnny’s hair slowly but his body moves sharply, turning them around and soon Johnny is pushed down on a bed, Ten climbing over him, straddling his hips.

“I love you too,” Johnny says before he forgets in the swirls of Ten’s colour against him and the way Ten muddles his thoughts. Ten smiles softly, such a contrast to what he kisses like, and leans down with one hand cupping Johnny’s cheek to lick into his mouth again.

They kiss for what feels like an eternity but also just a second. Ten’s hands are soft and gentle and his mouth is rough. Johnny wonders what Ten feels when they kiss but decides that it’s a question for another time when Ten presses against him and flexes his fingers in Johnny’s hair.

Johnny’s breath hitches and he presses back up at Ten, eliciting a small moan. Johnny smiles into the kiss and so does Ten, causing them to break away.

They look at each other for a while. Ten’s eyes are flitting all over Johnny, maybe he’s taking in the glow too. That thought makes Johnny wonder what his glow looks like, what Ten thinks of it, if he likes it or if he doesn’t.

Johnny’s hand goes up to trace Ten’s earrings like he imagined to for years now. Ten smiles down on him and Johnny can’t help himself. He leans up to place a soft, short kiss on Ten’s lips before asking, “Hey, what does my glow look like?”

Ten’s eyes flick up to Johnny’s, a small grin makes its way onto his face and Johnny knows it’s nothing but trouble.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy,” Ten responds, then lets himself fall down on Johnny’s chest. His fingers trace small shapes on Johnny’s arm, causing Goosebumps to spread all over Johnny’s body.

Ten is full of surprises and contrasts, just like his glow can’t seem to decide on only one colour and Johnny thanks the heavens that he was able to meet the boy atop of him.

**Author's Note:**

> You may have noticed that I totally fucked up the timeline but I don't care anymore and I'm too lazy to change it now anyways. Maybe I'll do it sometime later.
> 
> Also, I plan on writing the next fic about Jaeyoung and then declaring the series as finished, at least for now. Maybe, I'll write some fics from another perspective, but I think I'm going to stick to the four couples I've already written about unless you have any special requests you definitely wanna see. You can comment them and I'll see what I can do about it :)


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